undefinedPatton Kizzire came to California this week and hugged his first tree at the suggestion of his new sports psychologist. Days later, he hugged his wife on the 18th green at Silverado Resort’s North Course as the champion of the Procore Championship, his third career PGA Tour title and first victory since 2018.
“It feels so good,” he said. “I’ve worked really hard and to come out and play like I did and pull away from the field and keep the pedal down and play like I can play, that was so much fun.”
Kizzire closed with a final-round 2-under 70 on Sunday in Napa’s wine country to post a 72-hole total of 20-under 268 and a five-stroke victory over David Lipsky.
Kizzire, 38, lost his full-exempt status at the end of last season and broke down and cried when asked what it meant to him to be a member of the Tour.
“This is what I’ve always wanted to do since I was a kid,” he said in November at the RSM Classic. “They asked me what I wanted to do when I was in second grade and I said I want to be a professional golfer and I’ve never changed my mind, so here I am.”
Kizzire pieced together a schedule that included 18 starts during the regular season, but his struggles continued — just two top-10 finishes and both at opposite field events — and entered the week at No. 132 in the season-long standings. After missing the cut in his last two starts and enduring a stretch from late January through March in which he missed six consecutive cuts, Kizzire failed to make the playoffs and had a month off at home in Sea Island, Georgia. He decided that his mental and physical part of his game both could use a boost.
“I think what was wrong, you couldn’t see it in the stats,” he said.
He decided to start working with a new mental coach, a local woman, who took him out of his comfort zone with a different approach to getting in the right frame of mind to make birdies.
Among the things she has introduced into his regimen includes hugging trees, walking bare foot and looking at flowers.
“Not joking. I hugged that tree right there,” he said, pointing to a tree along Silverado Resort’s 16th tee on Friday. He added, “I’ve hugged one tree in my life and that was this morning.”
Whatever works. Kizzire opened with 66 on Thursday, birdied his first hole after hugging that tree and then made pars on the rest of the front nine. He said he didn’t have his best stuff but remained patient.
“That was it,” Kizzire said. “I…
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